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For what it's worth, I agree with you, Mar. I think the government *does* have a role to play in curbing the worst excesses of bad naming.

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People tend to forget that their beliefs about what constitutes a 'right' are cultural, not universal. The fact that some countries take a more restricted approach to naming doesn't mean that the populace of those countries is somehow oppressed; it just means that their culture - of which the government is a part - thinks of naming as something that requires some restriction. In their culture, they don't have the right to name their children whatever they want, and it is the government's business to intervene when necessary.

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Riots in Malaysia over unpopular decisions are not uncommon, but I've never heard of them rioting over name restrictions :-D

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♦ Chrisell ♦

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All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

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